Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

Drugmakers Lobby Trump Administration To Halt Discounts For Seniors

News outlets report on stories related to pharmaceutical pricing.

Bloomberg:
Pharma Makes Lobbying Push To Roll Back Seniors' Drug Discounts
Pharma giants have been quick to tout their efforts to help the Trump administration rein in runaway drug prices, but behind the scenes the industry has been lobbying furiously to roll back recently mandated medicine discounts for U.S. seniors. Drug companies are focusing lobbying efforts to use a possible lame-duck session of Congress to peel back a legislative loss they suffered earlier this year, according to people familiar with the efforts. On the line for the drug industry is $1.9 billion next year, according to one estimate. Critics say the effort by the industry has the potential to increase costs for some of the most vulnerable and medically fragile Americans: seniors on Medicare. (Koons and Brody, 11/5)

Stat:
AMA Delegates To Weigh A Plan For Personal Importation Of Drugs From Canada
The nation’s largest group of physicians is wading into the debate over the cost of prescription drugs with a proposal to allow Americans to purchase medicines from Canada, but not by going online. At its semi-annual policy meeting that begins this coming weekend, the American Medical Association will consider a motion to endorse medicines that are obtained in person from licensed brick-and-mortar Canadian pharmacies, but only if there are limits on quantities and product safety assurances are in place. (Silverman, 11/6)

FiercePharma:
Epidiolex Rollout: $32,500 List Price Spurs Critics As First Cannabis Drug Hits Shelves
It’s official—the first FDA approved CBD product is on the market. GW Pharmaceuticals announced this morning that its cannabinoid Epidiolex, approved in the treatment of two rare forms of epilepsy, is now available by prescription. However, it may already be facing its first stumbling block with its price tag. Epidiolex has racked up angry social media comments since August when it announced its list price as $32,500 per year—with a new surge following today’s news. GW Pharma has been quick to point out that the drug is a rare disease therapy specifically approved to treat seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet syndromes, and its pricing is in line with similar FDA-approved anti-epileptics. (Bulik, 11/2)

Stat:
Despite Scrutiny Of Patient Assistance Programs By The Feds, Pharma Appears Unprepared
As the federal government scrutinizes various programs that provide some form of assistance to patients, drug makers are responding inconsistently to the legal hazards, according to a new survey. Approximately one-third of the companies queried say they have altered procedures for funding independent charities that provide financial assistance to patients, but very few are regularly monitoring or auditing the activities of their patient services teams. And 25 percent of drug makers report that they provide patient services, such as copay cards, to people using their medicines for unapproved uses. (Silverman, 11/6)

FiercePharma:
Tale Of 2 CEOs: Merck Chief Treads Carefully On Pricing, While Pfizer's Read Predicts More Hikes
Two Big Pharma CEOs have sounded off on drug pricing, and what a difference between the two. Merck's Ken Frazier stayed in safe territory with his barbs against rebates, but Pfizer's Ian Read touched off controversy by predicting a return to price hikes. During separate sets of remarks this week, Frazier took a line that's approved even by the price-fighting Trump Administration by criticizing the payer rebates that hack into net sales. Meanwhile, even after a public lashing from Trump on price hikes, Read said Pfizer's ready to return to "business as normal" in 2019, indicating that price increases are likely on the way. (Sagonowsky, 11/2)

The Economist:
The White House Makes A Last-Minute Proposal On Drug Prices
Such exceptional disparities in drug prices are typical in America. Pharmaceutical spending is the highest in the OECD club of mostly rich countries, at $1,174 per person—more than twice as much as in Britain. Voters have grown tired of the price- gouging. Over the past five years, prices of the 20 most-prescribed brand-name drugs have rocketed at ten times the rate of inflation. Out-of-pocket costs, the cash payments made for treatment that are not covered by health-insurance premiums, have spiked. For these reasons, health care has been the subject of nearly half of all political advertisements on television in the run-up to the mid-terms. (11/3)

Stat:
Skin Cancer Immunotherapy Could Have Potential But Don't Hang Hopes On New Data
OncoSec Medical (ONCS), a biotechnology company focused on combination immunotherapies, offered anecdotal evidence last year suggesting its novel approach might help some skin cancer patients who do not benefit from the currently approved class of drugs known as checkpoint inhibitors. What OncoSec lacked was data from a clinical trial to hang its hopes on. On Tuesday, the company tried to remedy that scientific shortcoming, but the newly released sliver of data on the drug, called Tavo, are frustratingly early and hard to interpret. (Feuerstein, 11/6)

Bloomberg:
Big Employers Will Use Online Startup To Save On Medicine Costs
A group of large employers plans to use a new online prescription-savings tool as they confront high drug costs and try to steer patients to the most cost-effective medicines. The Health Transformation Alliance, a coalition of more than 40 big companies that includes IBM Corp., Verizon Communications Inc. and American Express Co., has agreed to use a new online tool from startup Rx Savings Solutions to help the millions of people who work for the group’s members get better deals on their medications. (Langreth, 11/1)

Stat:
Can Novartis Charge $4 Million For A One-Time Drug?
Novartis believes its new gene therapy is worth more than $4 million for a one-time dose, and the company has some data to back that up. But, with a global spotlight on the escalating cost of medicine, is it politically viable to set a new record for the world’s most expensive drug? The treatment, called AVXS-101, has demonstrated dramatic effects in spinal muscular atrophy, a rare genetic disorder whose most severe form is fatal for almost all patients before age 2. In a 15-patient trial, infants with SMA who got AVXS-101 had a 100 percent survival rate after 24 months, data that convinced Novartis to pay $8.7 billion for the gene therapy’s inventor. (Garde, 11/5)

FiercePharma:
Gilead Investors Spooked By UnitedHealthcare Push To Cut HIV Drug Costs
The ongoing war over drug prices has spawned numerous cost-saving initiatives from payers and the federal government, and now a new program from UnitedHealthcare has Gilead Sciences feeling the hurt. Unveiled this week, UnitedHealthcare’s MyScriptRewards program will offer patients up to $500 in prepaid debit cards for medical expenses if they work with their doctors to choose lower-cost HIV drug regimens. The program is rolling out in HIV antivirals to start, with other specialty drug classes to follow. (Sagonowsky, 11/1)

The Wall Street Journal:
Eli Lilly Raises 2018 Guidance After Strong 3Q
Eli Lilly & Co. on Tuesday raised its adjusted earnings per share guidance as it reported a more than doubled third-quarter profit. The Indianapolis, Ind.-based drugmaker earned a quarterly profit of $1.15 billion, or $1.12 a share, compared with $555.6 million, or 53 cents, for the same period last year. Excluding items, Eli Lilly reported an adjusted profit of $1.39 a share for the quarter, compared with $1.05 last year and analysts forecasts of $1.15. (Walker, 11/6)

Reuters:
Sanofi And Regeneron's Dupixent Gets More Positive Feedback From U.S. FDA
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) regulator has given more positive feedback on the Dupixent eczema treatment being developed by drugmakers Sanofi and Regeneron, the companies said on Tuesday. Dupixent was launched in the United States in April 2017 for the treatment of moderate-to-severe eczema in adults, and the product is seen as a key sales driver for both companies. (11/6)

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